Circus Freak
by abcRainbowPie
Summary: Riku, Axel, and Zexion are all part of a new traveling circus. They end up meeting and going to school with Sora, Roxas, and Demyx and discover feelings more than friendship. Riku and Sora easily click, Roxas plays hard to get, and Demyx thinks Zexion is a familiar face. Axel/Roxas Riku/Sora Demyx/Zexion
1. Chapter 1

Hello, abcRP here. This is my first story and I'm currently writing the second chapter. I'm also working on a couple of other KH stories. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the beginning and reviews would be nice to know how I'm doing so far.

* * *

"Please Roxas! Please!" Sora begged his brother.

"No," Roxas replied and walked away. Sora followed close behind and continued to beg. No matter how many times his brother would say 'no' he kept begging.

"Please Roxas! Mom said I can't go unless you come with me!" Sora said as he grabbed onto his brother's arm. They stopped walking and Roxas tried to shake off Sora, but it was no use. Sora looked up at his brother with sad eyes and gently tugged on his arm. "Please Roxas, I really want to go. But I can't unless you come with me. If you don't then I'll be sad and I won't ever forgive you!"

All Sora wanted was to go to the circus that was coming to town. He heard that is was really good and entertaining and he wanted to be one of the first in town to see it. The only problem was that his mom won't let him go alone because she's afraid he'll get in troubled or lost. After about an hour of begging to his mother, she said he could go if he can get Roxas to go with him. So here he was, practically crying to his brother. He wasn't really crying though, the tears were fake, but he was serious about not forgiving his brother. The tears were just to make sure his brother agreed. He knew his brother didn't like it when his little brother was upset, especially when he's the cause of it.

Roxas took a deep breath and looked down at Sora. "Fine," he said, "I'll go."

Sora made a noise of excitement and wrapped his brother in a tight hug.

* * *

Roxas woke up to sudden extra weight on top of him and his mattress bouncing. He opened his eyes, blinking to get used to the sunlight from his window. Once his eyes adjusted he saw Sora on top of him trying to wake him.

"The hell, Sora?" Roxas mumbled, rubbing his eyes and pulling up the blankets.

Sora noticed this and tugged down the blankets so Roxas was half exposed to the cold air. "Come on! We gotta get ready for the circus!"

Roxas let out a tired whine and reached for his blankets, but Sora quickly moved to the end of the bed taking them with him. Roxas's legs were now exposed to the cold and he let out another whine. Without his blankets he was practically freezing. He liked to keep his room cool and sleep with lots of blankets. And since his blankets keep him warm, he only wears a tank top and short shorts to bed.

Sora left the bed and came back with clothes. He tossed them to Roxas telling him to get dressed. Once he was dressed, Roxas was pulled downstairs and into the kitchen. Sora handed him a banana and pushed him back out and into the living room. Roxas, only half awake, barely heard Sora call to their mom that they were leaving. He was then dragged out the front door and down the sidewalk.

After walking for awhile, Roxas started to gain more energy. He followed Sora down the sidewalk quietly. The entire walk was silent. When they arrived at the circus, Sora quickly got in line. Roxas stood by him and waited. The line wasn't long and moved at a good pace. The silence was broken by a yell in the distance. Roxas turned to see Demyx, Sora's friend, running towards them.

When Demyx finally got to them he said, "I didn't think you were coming."

"I wasn't at first. I had to get Roxas to come with me," Sora replied crossing his arms.

Roxas sighed and held a hand up to his temple. "Sora, you know could've told mom you were coming with Demyx. Then she probably would've let you go."

"I did tell her! She still said I had to get you to come though!"

"Whatever, come on." Roxas moved with the line and gestured for the two to follow. After a few more minutes they bought their tickets and went inside to find seats. They found seats in the second and third rows. Sora and Demyx sat in the second row while Roxas sat behind them in the third. For the first day in town, there weren't a lot of people. Probably because not enough people heard about it. Only a few people actually sat in the front row, but there wasn't anyone in front of the three so that was good.

After a few moments of people settling down, getting food, and finding seats the lights dimmed. Then a light was shined to the middle of the circle and landed on a man standing on a high pedestal. The man started to speak in a deep voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages! Welcome! And let the circus begin!"

The light turned off and music started play. The area was lit back up by torches spread around the circle's edge and an opening act started. The opening act consisted of clowns, a small marching band, jugglers, acrobats, circus animals, and much more. All of those were great, but Roxas kept his eyes on a man breathing fire. He couldn't tare his gaze away; only until the man left at the end of the act did he notice he was watching him the whole time.

After the opening ended, the circus went on with other different performances. At one point a magician came out and did an act of tricks. Before he left, he had come over to the three of them and handed Sora a rose. Roxas was hoping to see the man with the fire again, but he never came back out again. At least not on his own.

The lights had turned off again, and the ringleader announced the final act. The lights then turned on slowly but not all the way, leaving the area dim. In the middle of the ring was a net tied to the four wooden pillars and above was a small boy standing on the tightrope. He stood in the middle facing the audience. Back below by the net stood the man with the fire doing small tricks with flames.

The boy started to do tricks back and forth along the rope. He would do a flip here and there. Sometimes he threw in an aerial. He would spin and jump, even go up on his hands. At one point the boy actually jumped off the rope without landing and falling past it.

The lights turn went out. It wasn't dark for long, but it wasn't the lights providing sight, it was the net. The net was set on fire as the boy fell. But before he could come into contact with it, he landed above it. He now stood on another tightrope, one that was lower and hidden from the dim lights. The boy continued his tricks, but these ones were more risky. The tricks came together faster and most were in the air. There was one where he would do a series of flips from one side to the other without pausing.

The man with the fire was circling around the net. The flames he was doing tricks with were gone now. He was now doing hand gestures to the boy above. With one last motion of his hand, he went and stood under the net. The boy did more flips only to stop in the middle of the rope. Then just like before, he jumped off and started to fall to the net. Instead of landing on the net and getting burned, the boy fell through the middle and the man below easily caught him. Ah, yes, there was a hole in the middle of the net, also hidden within the dim lights.

* * *

After the final act, the crew came out to extinguish the flames and clean. Axel carried Zexion towards the back. Pulling back a curtain he walked into the back room and set the boy down. They both made their way to the racks of clothes in the back of the room. Axel changed his clothes quickly and hung up his circus clothes on the clothe rack. He looked to Zexion who was on the floor looking through his bag.

"I'm gonna go help clean up, okay?" He asked making his way back out pausing next to the smaller boy.

"'Kay," Zexion replied not looking up.

Axel made his way back to the ring. The crew was walking through out the seats picking up forgotten trash or fallen food. Looking around, Axel saw Riku, already dressed in regular clothes since his act was earlier in the show, sitting and talking with three boys. Walking over to them he noticed one was holding a rose and blushing. He figured Riku must've given it out during his act. Riku giving out roses was a rare thing he did and only gave them to those who caught his eye. While Riku talked to the boy with the rose, the other two were talking to themselves. Axel immediately took a liking to the small blonde. When he finally reached the small group, the blonde took his gaze from his friend to look at him and Axel swore he felt that gaze on him before. Axel smiled at him, causing the blonde to look away with a small blush, and then sat down by the one who he had been talking to.

Riku stopped talking to the boy and looked at Axel across the two in between them. "Hey, where's Zex?"

Axel gestured to the back with his hand. "Still changing clothes. Why?"

"They go to the school were going to. I wanted him to meet them that way he doesn't get worried over school again."

"And they are?" Axel asked looking to the three, two sat in between him and Riku and the other, the small blonde, sat behind them.

"Ah, right," Riku said leaning back. "This is Sora, Demyx, and Roxas," he gestured to each one in turn then to Axel. "That's Axel."

Axel leaned back and crossed his arms. He looked over at Roxas thinking of all the names he could tease him with. While thinking of all the possibilities, a thought came to his mind. There were three of these boys and there were three of them. Sora was obviously Riku's type and Axel wanted Roxas. Then that left Demyx and Zexion out. He didn't know anything about Demyx, but he wondered if Zexion would be interested. He also didn't want to leave Zexion out and alone. Now that he thought about it, Axel realized he didn't even know what Zexion's type was. He knew he was gay though, he found that out in a slightly awkward situation. Axel smirked at the memory then stood up and excused himself from the group.

He walked back into the back room and found Zexion, now in his regular clothes, sitting at a makeup table. He had a wet wipe and was rubbing off the swirls of lines from the corners of his eyes. Axel began to walk over to him, planning to scare the boy from behind, but dismissed the idea when Zexion looked at him through the mirror. Instead of scaring him, Axel decided to just simply sit down on the table. He sat silently watching Zexion take off his makeup.

"What's your type?" Axel asked suddenly.

Zexion pulled the wipe away from his eye and looked at Axel. "My type?"

"Yeah, you know, what kind of boys do you like?"

"I dunno. Why?"

"Just curious," Axel said once again leaning back and crossing his arms. Looks he might have to play match maker.

Zexion sat confused. He blinked and then turned back to the mirror. He didn't have a clue to what Axel was thinking and felt that he didn't want to find out. He cleaned off the swirls replacing them with a light amount of eyeliner around his eyes. Taking his foundation he tucked his hair behind his ear and covered up a small but noticeable scar by his right eye.

* * *

The owners and performers of the circus moved into a small motel not too far from the tent. Each room had two beds, a bathroom, a TV, a closet, a couch, and a small kitchen area in the corner. Riku, Axel, and Zexion decided to share a room. Zexion said the two older boys could have a bed each, that he was fine on the couch. He went to the bathroom to change into clothes to sleep in and when he came out he went to go get a blanket from the closet. As he made his way to the couch he was grabbed from behind. Since Riku was already asleep he figured it must be Axel holding him.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch. You can sleep in my bed," Axel said in a hushed tone as to not wake Riku.

"I'm fine," Zexion replied just as quiet.

"Come on," Axel whispered whiling gently tugging Zexion to the bed. "You're like a little brother to me and I wouldn't want my brother sleeping on an uncomfortable couch."

Zexion sighed not wanting to fight and just sleep. Throwing the blanket onto the couch he followed Axel to his bed. They lay down next to each other and Axel wrapped a protective arm around the smaller boy. Zexion was both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. Comfortable because of the bed beneath him. Uncomfortable because of how close Axel was to him. He stayed awake until Axel's breathing evened and his arm's grip was loosened. Zexion slipped out from under the arm and out of the covers making his way to the couch. He grabbed the blanket and unfolded it. He lied down on the couch and covered himself with the blanket. The couch was actually not that bad and he fell asleep easily.

* * *

Zexion woke up by something hitting him in his side. Like Riku, Zexion was a light sleeper and mostly anything could wake him. He opened his eyes and looked down to what had hit him. On the floor was a pillow. He looked up at Axel, who was sitting up in his bed, and raised an eyebrow. Axel rolled his eyes and sighed falling back onto the three remaining pillows. Not knowing exactly what to say Zexion got up from the couch and made his way over to the bed, picking up the thrown pillow on his way.

Axel had an arm over his eyes. He didn't seem to notice Zexion's approach. Zexion paused at the bedside looking at Axel curiously. Realizing that the redhead wasn't planning on moving he raised the pillow in his hands and brought it back down onto Axel's head and arm. Axel jumped and abruptly sat back up shooting a glare Zexion.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked faking anger.

"That's what I would like to know. Why'd you throw a damn pillow at me?" Zexion questioned holding the pillow up in defense.

"I threw the pillow because I woke up to an empty bed," Axel answered. He held a hand up to his chest. Putting false sadness into his eyes he said, "It hurts to know you would leave me Zex."

"Shut up." Zexion was used to Axel's childish way when he was with him. He always pretended to be shocked, angry, or hurt. He actually found it quite attractive, but he wouldn't ever admit it. Even though Zexion himself wasn't very child-like or playful, it was still what he liked in others. You could say it's his 'type'. After hitting Axel with the pillow, he realized something. "Where's Riku?" he asked looking to the other side of the room.

"Out with Sora," Axel replied leaning back against the headboard, arms behind his head and eyes closed.

Zexion tilted his head not familiar with the name. "Huh?"

Axel opened his eyes and looked to the other. "Oh that's right," he leaned forward bringing up a knee and resting an arm on it. "You didn't meet him yesterday. But don't worry; you'll be able to meet him at school tomorrow." Axel then ruffled Zexion's hair and leaned back again.

Zexion sighed and fell onto the bed. He was so not looking forward to school. Hugging the pillow to his chest he turned onto his side and closed his eyes. He felt Axel's hand start to run through his hair as he petted him and soon fell back to sleep.

* * *

The next morning Zexion didn't even want to wake up knowing what was to come. He hated school. At school people made fun of him, he was beat up, and his only friends there were Axel and Riku. At least this school didn't require uniform like the last one. Axel and Riku kept teasing him for looking like a little schoolboy. He would argue with them and say he was nothing like a schoolboy but of course they kept at it.

While their walk to school Zexion had been listening to his iPod, but as they reached the front gates Riku took it from him saying he couldn't risk it being taking by a teacher. He obviously knew him too well. He had listened to his iPod in class before and the teacher took it. Riku's parents had to come to the school to receive it. The principle didn't just hand it over though. He had sent Zexion to a week's worth of detention and after that he talked to Zexion for a good hour and a half making him promise it wouldn't happen again. He then called his 'parents' to come receive it. He was able to sneak it pass Riku's parents but Riku, or Axel, always took it from him before they enter the school.

Walking past the gates the three of them entered a courtyard full of teens. Zexion seriously wished he could just turn around and go back to the motel. But he knew that wasn't an option so he decided to do the next best thing. As the other two walked past him he stayed in place. It didn't take long for the other two to notice. They came back over to him and each took one of his arms. They tried to pull him along but Zexion stood his ground.

"Ugh, come on Zex," Riku muttered as he pulled the small boy's arm. Zexion pulled his arm back and shook his head. "Fine then. Axel."

Riku released his arm and took a small step back. Axel then came to stand in front of Zexion not letting go of his arm. "You leave me no choice." Reaching down Axel wrapped an arm around Zexion's back and the other under his knees. He picked him up and made his way into the courtyard. Axel ignored Zexion's commands to put him down and followed Riku. By the time he was finally put down they had reached a tree with a small group of kids sat.

"Hey Sora," Riku greeted one of the boys while sitting down. The boy who he sat down next to smiled; Zexion figured that must be Sora. Beside him sat a girl with short red hair, beside her was a girl with brown hair, next to her was two boys, one with short blonde hair that spike back and the other was a bigger built short brunette. The last of the group was a boy and girl who looked a lot like the first two, only these two were blondes. Axel sat down by the blonde boy and Zexion sat a bit away from the group but was closet to Axel for comfort.

"Hey Riku," Sora said, "Axel." His eyes then landed on Zexion. "You must be Zexion, right?" Zexion nodded his head slowly. Sora smiled again. "Great! It's nice to meet you!" Zexion nodded again not having anything to say. "Anyway, now that you're here let me introduce my friends. This is Kairi, Olette, Hayner, Pence, Namine, Kairi's sister, and Roxas, my brother." He finished with another smile.

"Where's Demyx?" Axel question with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, he's in the music room," Sora answered.

The group started a conversation, Sora sometimes saying random stuff, and Riku and Axel joining in every now and then. Zexion sat back watching them and the other students passing by. Maybe this won't be as bad as he thought. After all he already had a group of people he can become friends with. He was still worried about bullies though. He always hated being pushed around and hit. Axel and Riku practically babied him whenever he got hurt. He wasn't strong enough to fight back. Plus he didn't want to get into trouble.

Sitting there while the others talked, Zexion wondered if he could be able to get into Riku's backpack and get his iPod back. He made to move over but stopped when a yell came in his direction from not too far away.

"Hey circus freak!"

He turned to see a group of three making their way over to him. The one in the middle was a blonde in a beanie, to his left was a guy with rather big muscles, and to the blonde's right was a girl. Seeing the three approaching Zexion started to panic inside. Before they could reach him though, he got up and started to run towards the school building. He ignored Axel and Riku's yells to him and ran through the door. He instantly turned left. He had no clue to where he was going but he didn't care. While running he could hear the fast footsteps of the three bullies behind him. He started to run faster, one of the only things he was good at.

Running. Running away.

He shook his not wanting to think about that. He passed doors, some open some closed, but each room had someone in it. He wanted to be alone, not with some random student or teacher. Not wanting to run anymore, Zexion started to count the he passed and went into the ninth one. Nine always was his lucky number. He didn't know why and didn't really care, but it always was. He closed the door behind him and leaned back against it. He didn't see the sign when he came in so he didn't know which room he was in. He fell to sit on the floor, back still against the door. He stayed that way for a few minutes until he heard a soft noise go through the room. Hesitantly, he looked up and came eye to eye with a blonde with an acoustic guitar.

They held eye contact until a rough pound came against the door and jerked Zexion's body forward. He wrapped his arms around his knees as another pound hit the door. He didn't see the other boy put down the guitar as he made his way to the door. Standing above Zexion, he placed both hands on the door. He gently pushed Zexion's leg with his foot to get his attention. When he had it he gestured with his head to another door. Zexion quickly got up and ran through it.

Once he was in he noticed it was a closet. Closing the door he could hear the other boy open the other door. He heard the bullies' footsteps enter the room and their questions to where he was. The other boy was telling them he didn't have a clue to what they were talking about. After another minute of talking, Zexion heard a crash. He figured the bullies had probably knocked the other boy down. Then he heard the footsteps get closer to the closet and he started to panic again. Looking around for a place to possibly hide Zexion noticed a shelf. Checking it to make sure it could hold him he quickly climbed up to it.

The closet was dark so Zexion's clothes easily hid him. As soon as he was settled against the wall beside the door the door opened and the blonde with the beanie walked in. Being higher up then the bully, Zexion looked down from shelf to watch the other. The bully looked around, huffed, and then left without even thinking to look up.

_Idiot_, Zexion thought.

After the footsteps of the three fell quiet and the sound of the door closing, the other boy came into the closet a confused look on his face. Zexion couldn't help but let out a small laugh. At the sound the other boy looked up to Zexion and smiled.

"Clever," he said. Then he moved closer and lifted up his hands. "Here let me help you down."

Zexion hesitated at first but then put his legs over the edge. He felt the other's hands grip his waist and he was gently placed on the floor. They stood there silently not looking at each other. Other then Axel and Riku, no one ever helped Zexion with bullies before. Then he remembered what Sora had said earlier and what room he had ran in. Looking at the taller boy in front of him, he asked, "Are you Demyx?"

The other looked down at him a bit startled. "Uh, yeah," he answered with a small smile. Then he pointed at Zexion, "Zexion?"

Zexion in turn only nodded. They fell silent again and Zexion was about to thank Demyx for helping him, but before he could say the words the school bell rang.

"Come on, I'll take you to your first class," Demyx said and went to the door. Zexion followed him out of the room and down the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

When Zexion ran off, Axel and Riku instantly got up to chase after him. Sora and Roxas went with them and the rest of the group stayed behind by the tree. The four of them were able to keep Zexion in sight until after he went into the school building. Inside the building they either had a choice to go left or right. Sora took Riku left almost instantly leaving Roxas and Axel to go right. Neither couple was able to find Zexion and had to give up when the bell rang.

Axel's class schedule was most similar to Zexion's and he hoped to have him walk into first period unharmed. Sitting in the back of the room, Axel tapped the eraser of his pencil against his closed notebook with his eyes on the door. Other students walked in one at a time or every now and then a pair of friends. Axel sighed not seeing his friend walk in yet. He had placed his backpack in the chair to his right as to save Zexion a seat. Reading over the notes and assignment on the board, Axel opened his notebook just as the door opened again. Looking up as an instinct Axel let out a sigh of relief when he saw Zexion walk in. He moved his backpack off the chair as Zexion came to the back.

Seeing as his friend was unharmed Axel let out another sigh of relief. "Are you okay?" he asked only to receive a nod.

"Where the hell did you run to?" he tried again but wasn't answered. Zexion only took out his notebook and started his notes. Instead of trying to get the boy to answer, Axel turned towards the board and copied his own notes.

* * *

In second period Axel had one of those teachers that assign seats. So instead of being able to sit down when he walked in, Axel had to stand by the teacher's desk until she figured out where to seat him. Finally finding her seating chart in a messy drawer, the teacher flipped to the second page and scanned it over. Looking back up, she pointed with her pencil at a seat in the back room. Axel moved to the back to sit. He took out a pencil from his bag along with his notebook and started to tap the eraser. This always was one of his habits when in school.

He didn't pay much attention to the kids coming in since he wasn't looking for anyone. When he heard laughter though he looked up. Walking in was Demyx and Sora with Roxas behind him. Demyx and Sora were the only ones laughing. They didn't sit down like the other students had. Instead they stood by the door to continue talking, letting Roxas walk pass them. Roxas walked through the desks, stopping by the one in front of Axel. His eyes took a quick glance at Axel, and then he quickly dropped his bag under the desk and sat down. Axel never did like assign seating, but this time he did, because there wasn't an option that Roxas could sit somewhere else.

Axel smirked as he watched the blonde get out his own notebook and pencil. Suddenly hearing the teacher, he looked up to see her separating Demyx and Sora to opposite sides of the room. He looked back to Roxas to see the blonde quickly turn forward. Before he did though, Axel had seen a blush on his face. He then decided he wouldn't mess with the blonde. He'd let him get used to his presence before he tried anything.

* * *

Third period had gone by uneventful. Axel only had Zexion in that class with him and he still wouldn't talk. At lunch Axel had met Riku and Zexion by the door and got in the lunch line. After they got their lunches Riku led them to a table where Sora had told him they would all be. Arriving at the table Axel saw that everyone was already there. He wanted to sit down by Roxas or at least across from him, but those seats were already occupied. The seats available where next to Sora, across from Demyx and one next to that seat. Riku sat by Sora and Zexion hesitantly sat across from Demyx with his eyes down. Axel sat down next to him all the while watching him curiously.

Sora had started a conversation with the others. He was a fast talker it seemed. He also seemed to have plenty of energy to kill. He was talking to Kairi about his dog while Roxas kept cutting in to remind Sora it wasn't their dog but just a stray. Suddenly he turned towards Demyx who was unconsciously staring at Zexion. "I'm sorry! I haven't introduced you two!"

"We've met," Zexion said not looking up from his tray. His voice was in an unusual tone which Axel picked up immediately.

"Oh, really?" Sora questioned. He looked between the two obviously confused.

"Yeah, he ran into the music room before school. I helped him get away from Seifer," Demyx put in.

Axel leaned down to Zexion's ear and said in voice only the two can hear, "Is that why you've been weird today? Because he helped you?" He knew that Zexion didn't like help unless it was absolutely necessary.

"No, now shut up," Zexion replied in the same tone he spoke in before. Axel started to worry again since his friend's tone was so unusual. He'd wait to talk about it later.

* * *

Fourth period Axel was alone. He had sixth and seventh period with Zexion and Riku in seventh though. While walking into fifth period, Axel thought he was alone as he sat down. Nobody he knew had come in and neither did anyone who he wanted to know. He watched the door hoping someone he knew would come in. While tapping his pencil's eraser he moved his thumb to press on the lead but found it missing. He looked at the broken pencil realizing it probably broke in his bag.

He got up to go sharpen his pencil. The sharpener was on the counter by the door. While sharpening the pencil, Axel noticed a couple more students walk in, neither of them familiar. Pulling out the pencil Axel tapped the tip to make sure it wouldn't fall out. He moved to go back to his desk but ran into someone since he wasn't looking. Not seeing anyone standing there he looked down. On the floor sat Roxas with a hand to his head. Axel smiled at seeing the blonde. He kneeled down and offered his hand.

Roxas looked at the offered hand then up to the person whose hand it belonged to. Seeing it was Axel, Roxas thought about not taking his hand, but he didn't want to seem rude. Slowly he reached up and grabbed the hand. He was gently pulled to his feet and almost into Axel's chest. He took a step back. "Thanks," he said fighting a blush from forming.

"No problem, it was my fault after all," Axel smiled down at Roxas. An idea came to mind suddenly and he asked, "You wanna sit together?"

"Uh, sure." Roxas followed Axel to where he was sitting. He sat down in the empty seat to Axel's right. He was slightly worried about Axel starting a conversation but was relieved when the teacher walked in.

Throughout the entire period, Axel kept sneaking glances at the blonde beside him. He wanted to be able to talk to him, but wasn't sure how to approach him. Instead of paying attention to the teacher, Axel thought of different things he could ask. When the bell rang Axel quickly put his pencil and notebook away. Standing up he moved to stand by Roxas's desk. The blonde was still packing his things but stopped to look up. He raised an eyebrow in question to Axel.

"Hey I was wondering," Axel started, "are you free Friday night?"

"Uh, no, I actually already have plans," Roxas replied and turned back to packing his bag.

"How about the weekend?" Axel asked as he watched the other.

"Essay," Roxas said simply.

"When are you free then?"

"I dunno," Roxas said as he stood and put his bag on his shoulder. He moved past Axel while saying, "See you later."

* * *

I know it's short, but I'm having a busy week. My mother's birthday is tomorrow and since I don't have any money I'm drawing her a picture. I also have to do two weeks worth of history work. Same with science. I don't know when I'll update next, my schedule is a little messed up right now.

Since this chapter was short, if you want a character brought into the story, just send me a review with who you want and what role you would like them to be. I'll do my best to put them in for you to make up for the shortness.


	3. Chapter 3

After school the three performers had to go to the tent to practice their acts. Riku had told Axel and Zexion to go on without him. Axel was about to refuse but started to follow Zexion down the sidewalk. It didn't bother Riku though; he and Zexion never were very close. He watched the two walk away and when they were out of sight he turned back to the school building. He walked back across the courtyard and stopped at the front steps. He sat down on a step with his back to the wall that ran up along the steps' sides. Leaning back he removed his backpack off his shoulders and placed it on the step below him. He stretched out his legs in front of him and waited for the minutes to go by.

During class Sora had told him that he, Demyx, and Roxas were all part of an after school group. It only lasted for half an hour and ten, maybe fifth-teen, minutes had already gone by now. The school courtyard was empty of students. They all either walked, took a bus, or got picked up to get home. Riku was actually surprised by the amount of students who got picked up. It wasn't too many but it was also wasn't a little amount. Being in the small town they were in the school was also a bit small. So with the cars coming in and out of the small parking lot and the buses leaving it caused some traffic making the students take at least ten minutes to clear out. The three of them usually stayed until it was mostly empty to leave school.

Taking out his phone from his pocket Riku turned it on to check the time. Five minutes had passed leaving ten more to go by. Putting the phone back in his pocket Riku took a deep breath and started to wonder. He and Zexion weren't very close, but they were close enough. He obviously doesn't spend as much time with him as Axel does, but he's always there to defend and care for him. After a while Riku came to a conclusion that Zexion was closer to Axel probably because he was treated more as a little brother and best friend. Though he never heard the small boy refer to Axel as a best friend before, only just as a friend. He was gonna think about it some more but was distracted by the door opening. He looked up to see the three he was waiting for walk out.

He stood up to greet them. "Hey," he said eyes mostly on Sora.

"Oh, Riku! What are you still doing here?" Sora asked taken off guard by the other boy.

"Waiting for you," Riku stated simply receiving a blush from Sora. Behind Sora he could see Roxas roll his eyes. Looking back to Sora, Riku asked, "Do you guys wanna come with me to practice?"

"Really?" Sora asked a little surprised.

"Yeah, Axel and Zexion are already there."

"Okay! Sounds fun!" Sora said obviously excited.

"I think I'll pass," Roxas said and then walked down the rest of the stairs and across the courtyard. Nobody tried to stop him as he walked away and disappeared around the courtyard's wall.

"Kay, well let's go."

* * *

When the three of them got to the circus tent Riku led them to the back room. In the back room Axel stood in the middle of the room with his arms crossed. He was talking to Zexion who was knelt down by his bag. In his hand he had a small white container which he was putting into his bag. After zipping up the bag he stood up and made to go out to the ring but stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened and were locked to Demyx's. Both boys found themselves unable to move. Zexion couldn't move because he was too shocked to see the other boy and Demyx didn't move because of the other's eyes. They weren't the dark grey/blue eyes he met in the music room. Instead they were a bright light blue that he met a long time ago. After another minute Zexion finally broke the eye contact and quickly went pass Demyx out to the tightrope, Axel right behind him.

Demyx watched the two leave then turned to Riku. "Is that his natural eye color?" he asked.

Riku turned to look at the other boy. "Yeah, but he says he doesn't like the color so he wears contacts most of the time."

"What's his natural hair color?" Demyx asked getting more curious.

"I wouldn't know. You would have to ask him yourself." Riku replied. Then as an afterthought he added, "Or you could ask Axel, he might know."

"Isn't he practicing right now?"

"He won't mind, he's always looking for an excuse to not practice."

And with that Demyx left to go to the ring leaving Riku and Sora alone in the back room.

* * *

Out in the ring Zexion was on the highest tightrope and Axel stood by the net doing simple tricks. Demyx paused at the edge of the ring to look up at the small boy. Then he started to walk towards Axel, casting a few nervous looks up. When he reached Axel's side the taller boy was too distracted to notice the other's presence. Demyx cleared throat to get the other to notice him. Hearing the noise Axel turned to face Demyx. He immediately put out the flames in his hand and gave all his attention to Demyx.

"What's up?" he asked crossing his arms.

"I, um, can I ask you about Zexion?" Demyx asked back.

"Uh, sure. What do you wanna know?"

"By any chance do you know his natural hair color?"

"No," Axel replied slowly, "he never told either of us."

"Oh," Demyx looked down at his feet.

"Why?" Axel asked the other.

"Why what?" Demyx responded confused.

"Why do you wanna know his natural hair color?" Axel crossed his arms.

"Just because," Demyx said not wanting to tell the other.

"Because… by any chance are you interested in him?"

"What do you mean?" Demyx asked once again confused.

"I mean do you like him? More than a friend?"

"Well we aren't really friends so, - wait!" Demyx exclaimed realizing what Axel meant. "No! That's not why I was asking! I just, I was wondering if maybe it could be him…" his voice trailed off. He looked up to the tightrope to look at the boy but found him missing. Hearing Axel clear his throat Demyx looked to him. He had an eyebrow raised in question to Demyx.

"If it could be him? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hmm..? Oh yeah. It's just I used to have this friend and Zexion looks a lot like him."

"And you think there's a possibility that Zexion is your old friend?" Axel asked receiving a nod.

"They just resemble each other so much. The eye color, facial features, and even the way he does a back flip are all the same."

"Wait, your friend did stuff like back flips?" Axel asked getting curious. Demyx nodded again. "Okay, now I'm interested. Tell me about your friend."

Demyx nodded once again and moved to one of the first rows of seats to sit. Axel followed and sat down next to him.

"Okay, well first my friend's name was Ienzo. We met four years ago and the last time I saw him was three years ago. He had the same color eyes as Zexion and light blonde hair. We spent most of our time together in the park. I would either bring my guitar or camera while he practiced his flips. One thing I never understood about him was that he was always falling when he was on the ground but was perfectly balanced when he was on something. One day I learned that he had an abusive father and that was why he was usually at the park most of the time. He had gotten a scar by his eye from his father and he hated whenever I tried to look at it or talk about it."

"He has a scar by his eye?" Axel asked remembering the other day when Zexion had covered his scar.

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason, continue."

"Okay. Anyway, his father was abusive both towards him and his mother. He told me he had a little sister which he did his best to protect from his father. I never met his family before though. He was also a good cook for his age. He said he had to sometimes cook for his mother and sister since most of the time his mother was too sick or abused to do it herself. His father wasn't home much so he never had to cook for him. Some days he would make something and bring it to the park for me. I only knew him for about a year before he ran away one day. Even though I only knew him for that little amount of time, he was my best friend, still is." Demyx leaned back with a sigh.

Axel once again crossed his arms and said, "They do sound a lot alike. All I know about Zexion is that he's horrible on solid ground, that's why he's on the tightrope. He does have a scar by his eye. I've never talked to him about family or how he got the scar. I've never tasted his cooking but I've seen him cook for his self. The first time I met him was when he joined the circus three years ago. When he joined he said he ran away from home."

"Yeah they're very similar, but the name's still different." Demyx slouched down in his seat with a sigh.

"You never know, he could have changed it. Wanna go ask him?"

"No," Demyx started but Axel was already up and going to the back room. Demyx, with no other choice, decided to get up and follow him.

Inside the back room Sora and Riku were sitting on a couch and talking to the right and Zexion sat on the floor against the makeup table with his retrieved iPod to the left. Axel walked over to Zexion and Demyx followed him. Once he got close enough Demyx noticed Zexion had put his contacts back in. When Axel reached the other boy he instantly took out the other's headphones gaining his attention.

"Hey!" Zexion tried to grab his iPod back but it was pulled out of reach. Axel put the iPod in his pocket and Zexion crossed his arms upset for having his iPod taken away again. "What do you want?"

"Tell me, _Zexion_, what is your real name?" Axel asked as he kneeled down before the other.

Zexion looked at Axel to Demyx, who he just realized was there, and his eyes widened. He moved to get up and run but before he could get pass them Axel caught by the waist.

"Answer me." Axel tightened his grip on the other's waist. By now they had both Riku and Sora's attention as they watched from the couch.

"I don't want to!" Zexion yelled as he tried to free himself. The way he spoke though was in an unusual tone neither Riku nor Axel have heard. It wasn't like the tone back in the cafeteria, it was more childlike and whiney, and Demyx knew he had heard it before. Zexion, realizing the tone he had spoken in, froze and looked at Demyx. And even with the contacts in, Demyx could tell it was him.

* * *

Okay, bit of a filler to make up for last week. Next chapter will be of Zexion and Demyx's past together. I'll try to get it on this Wednesday. Again if you want any characters brought in or a character thats already in it to be in it more, tell me and I'll put them in!


	4. Chapter 4

*This chapter is set in the past.*

* * *

One day, out of boredom, Demyx decided to go to the park. He was only eleven years old but his mother allowed him to go on his own. She knew he was smart enough to not talk to strangers or go anywhere he wasn't supposed to. It was around lunch time when he left his house but he didn't bother to eat. Before leaving he had grabbed his camera. Some days he would take his guitar, other days he would take the camera. He loved photography as much as he loved music. He thought that the small town he lived in was beautiful so he asked his mother for a camera. When he got it he took it with him everywhere he went, taking photos of landscapes, animals, happy families, and local places such as the coffee shops.

Once he reached the park Demyx sat down at a bench that was always empty. He leaned back and looked around the park. The reason he had brought his camera was to see if he could capture anything new. There weren't many kids at the park today, it was almost completely empty. If he were to take pictures of the kids that were there it would probably just come out as a boring picture. Looking up at the trees Demyx found interest. The trees were changing; the leaves changed color and fell one by one. Some of the trees were still mostly green and some were even half a color and half another.

Sitting up straight Demyx picked up his camera to take pictures of the trees. After taking a few photos Demyx sat back to look through them. In one picture he noticed that behind the orange leaves was the color yellow. Curious to what it was Demyx zoomed in on the color. Once he zoomed in on the picture he was able to identify the color as blonde hair. Realizing that it was a person he looked back up to the tree they were in. Looking closely Demyx noticed that the tree was empty of any possible tree climbers. He checked the picture on the camera to make sure he was looking at the right one. It was the same tree but empty.

That night Demyx looked at the picture again. Zoomed in all the way the camera could, but the person in the tree was behind the leaves too much to look at. All Demyx could figure out was that it was a boy with light blonde hair. The boy's hair seemed pure, not having the slightest hint to any other shade. He was a dirty blonde like Demyx whose hair was blonde but almost brown. The boy's hair didn't seem long like Demyx's own long shaggy hair. Finally Demyx put his camera away and went to bed.

The next day Demyx went to the park again taking his camera with him. He was hoping to see the boy he had accidently captured on his camera. He left the house earlier then he did yesterday figuring maybe he would have a better chance to see the other. When he got to the park the first thing he did was look up at the trees. He found them empty again. Sighing, Demyx went over to the bench he sat yesterday. The reason he wanted to meet the other boy was because his family had just moved and he didn't have any friends yet. There still weren't many kids at the park so Demyx decided to walk around. At the back part of the park he started to take pictures of a couple of squirrels by a tree. He was able to take a few pictures before they ran off.

Looking at the few pictures he got of the small animals something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a boy in the grass behind the park. He had blonde hair like the boy in the pictures and was currently doing a handstand. He soon fell to a backbend and stood up on his feet. Demyx changed the photo on his camera from the squirrels to the photo from yesterday. He looked at the color of the boy's hair which matched the other's hair color. Shutting the camera off Demyx climbed over the half wall that surrounded the park and made his way through the grass towards the other boy.

When he reached where the other boy was, Demyx simply sat down on the grass. The other was in another backbend but let himself drop and sit up to look at Demyx. Demyx noticed that when the other looked at him that he had bright light blue eyes. He was small for his age that Demyx almost thought he was nine rather than eleven.

Demyx, eager to talk, said, "Hi! I'm Dem!" He always liked it better when people called him by this name other than his original name.

The other boy only blinked before he spoke back, almost hesitant. "Ienzo," he said.

Demyx smiled at the other boy. They easily started talking. Demyx told him about his interests of photography and music and Ienzo had said he would like to see the other's photos and hear his music. Demyx was more than eager to bring his guitar and play for the other. Since he had his camera with him he decided to show the boy his pictures. After seeing the pictures Ienzo said he really liked them. Demyx was happy talking to Ienzo but once lunch time came around the other said he had to leave.

"Sorry, but I have to go," Ienzo said as he stood up.

"Why?"

"I'm not allowed to stay past lunch, but I'll be able to see you tomorrow if you come back here."

"Okay, I'll come back." Demyx nodded with a smile.

"Bye," Ienzo said then ran off.

After breakfast the next morning Demyx quickly left to go to the park, this time bringing his guitar. The park was mostly empty in the mornings. When Demyx got there he didn't expect to see Ienzo there already. He was in the grass behind the park just like the day before. He seemed to be doing cartwheels. As Demyx walked towards the other, Ienzo had fallen from a cartwheel seeming to hit the ground hard. Demyx instantly ran towards the other in order to make sure he was alright. Reaching Ienzo, Demyx set his guitar aside and put a hand on the other's shoulder. Ienzo looked up at who was touching him. Seeing it was only Demyx he relaxed and sat up.

"Are you okay?" Demyx asked the other with both hands on either shoulder now.

"I'm fine," Ienzo said with a small smile.

"Are you sure? You seemed to have hit the ground hard." Demyx pulled back to look the other over as if to check for any possible injuries.

"No, I'm fine. I don't get hurt easily." Zexion moved to get up but was stopped by Demyx.

"Wait!" Demyx exclaimed pushing the other back to make him stay still. "You have a bruise on your cheek! What happened?"

"I, uh, fell?"

"You fell?" Demyx asked. Ienzo nodded. "On your face?" Demyx questioned slowly.

"No," Ienzo answered looking down causing his hair to fall in his face.

"Tell me what happened," Demyx urged. The smaller boy only shook his head instead of answering. "Please? I'm concerned."

Looking into Demyx's eyes, Ienzo sighed and looked back down. "It's just, well," he started. He didn't want to finish but did anyway. "My father hits me."

As soon as he had said it Demyx eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around the other. Ienzo had never been in a situation like this. He couldn't even remember the last time someone had hugged him. There was his sister, but it didn't really count as a hug. More like she was holding on to survive. He never told anyone about his abusive father so he was never comforted about it. Not knowing what to do, Ienzo noticed the guitar behind Demyx and said he should play it. It was enough to distract Demyx and change the topic. The two of them stayed in the grass, Demyx playing his guitar and Ienzo was back to doing his cartwheels. Ienzo said he was able to stay past lunch, which he did. They both missed lunch not that they cared, neither one was very hungry. Though when it was about 4 o'clock they both went home.

* * *

Ienzo never liked his father. He was honestly one of the stupidest people Ienzo ever met or heard of. His reason for hitting his mom was because apparently she was a slut. He never really came after Ienzo unless he actually did something he wasn't supposed to or he stood up to protect his younger sister. Elizabeth, Ienzo's younger sister, never got hit or hurt because he always got in the way of their father. He would say to take it out on him instead. His sister was just too delicate, she bruised easily, and too kind to receive unnecessary hits from her father. She always cried whenever Ienzo got it, especially when he does it for her. Their father was also an alcoholic, which one of the reasons he was so abusive. Honestly, Ienzo hated his father, but he couldn't say it. He said it once and it resulted to a blow in his stomach.

When he got home everything was quiet. Closing the front door softly, Ienzo slowly walked through the house. Sometimes he got afraid to be in his own home. Walking into the living room he saw Elizabeth kneeling down cleaning up a broken vase, her blonde hair tied up with ribbons in two pigtails. Ienzo figure his father was out again. If he was in the house then he probably be either hitting his mom or breaking things. Also Elizabeth would most likely be in her room instead of in the living room.

Even though his father had a habit of breaking things when drunk, it was mostly okay because Ienzo's family had a great amount of money to replace whatever broke. But since he abused his mother so much, she was usually unable to cook for her two children and Elizabeth was only 7. So instead Ienzo did most of the cooking. It was why he couldn't stay at the park past lunch because every morning he made breakfast, went to the park, and came home to make lunch. The reason he was able to stay past lunch this day was because he had premade the two lunches and put them in the fridge. He did this to mainly spend more time with Demyx.

Ienzo walked through the living room to the kitchen to start their dinner. Even though it was only about 4 o'clock he wanted to get started before his father got home. As he got three plates out along with glass cups, Elizabeth came in with the broken vase pieces. She moved to the trashcan to through them away then went over to her brother.

"What are we eating?" she asked as she held her hands behind her back.

"Um," Ienzo thought then said, "Whatever you want me to make."

Elizabeth instantly jumped up with excitement making her pigtails bounce. "Oh! Make your mac 'n cheese with that soup I like!"

"Okay," Ienzo replied and reached to get the bowls out. Elizabeth again jumped with excitement but this time she had jumped onto the counter to watch her brother cook.

This had always been her favorite meal, especially the way her brother made it. The mac 'n cheese was always hot but not too hot and perfect to eat right out of the pot. The amount of cheese was perfect too, not too much and not too little. The cheese was always soft and creamy. The same goes for her brother's soup. She could eat it steaming hot without burning her mouth, probably from eating it too fast to mind. The flavors were different but evened out. The soup is originally plain tomato soup, but with the ingredients Ienzo puts in, the flavor goes from creamy to a slightly spicy aftertaste.

Once the food was made, Elizabeth helped Ienzo carry the plate, bowl, and glass to their mother's room. Their mother had her own room since their father thinks she's a slut and doesn't want to share the room anymore. Her room is actually the guest room and one day while their father was out, the two kids helped her take her belongings out of her original room. Elizabeth stopped to open the door since she had only the plate. Stepping into the room she held the door open for her brother and closed it behind him.

Their mother was sitting up in her bed reading a book. As the two children reached the bed each offered the food. As their mother took the plate from Elizabeth, the bowl and glass were placed on the side table; she smiled kindly at her kids. They all sat on the bed for a few minutes before the two kids left to eat their own food before it got cold. They sat and ate their dinner at the dining room table. Elizabeth ate her food faster than her brother did.

It was about six to seven o'clock when they both were done. They stayed seated at the table and talked for another couple of hours. At nine o'clock they heard the front door open. Elizabeth jumped at the sound and ran off to her room. Ienzo stood from his chair and picked up the dishes from the table and went to put them in the sink. He tried to put them in and go to his own room as fast as he could but as he turned around he came face to face with his father.

His father was holding an empty bottle in one hand and as soon as he saw his son he used his other hand to grab him roughly. "What are you still doing up?" he snarled. Ienzo was able to smell the alcohol in his father's breath.

"I-I," Ienzo wasn't able to say anything more. His father's grip on him tightened as he lifted the hand with the bottle and brought it back down on Ienzo hard. Ienzo winced at the contact as small pieces of glass cut him.

His father through the rest of the bottle aside and placed both hands on Ienzo. His grip was tight and Ienzo was for sure it was gonna bruise. He asked again why his son was up so late, but once again Ienzo was unable to say anything. His father took his hands off him, pushing him back slightly, and moved to a drawer. Opening it he rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for. Pulling out a knife he turned back to Ienzo. His son's eyes widened at the sight of the knife. He knew he couldn't run, his father would just follow him. And it was too late in the day to run out of the house. Even if he could, no doubt his father would be waiting with the knife when he came back.

When his father reached him, Ienzo was grabbed by his jaw and forced to look up. His father turned his face to the left. He could feel the cold tough of the knife when it was placed on his temple. He let put a small whimper which clearly angered his father in a way. Suddenly the knife was moved to a spot beside his right eye and the tip pushed in. Ienzo felt it go in deep. His eyes were closed by this point so he couldn't see his father's expression. He didn't move the knife for what felt a very long time. Then he pulled it down slowly creating a small line and pulled it out. Even though it was a small cut, the deepness of it made it feel as if the knife was dragged down to his cheekbone.

Ienzo could feel the blood coming out of the cut and move down his face. His father only tossed the knife into the sink and yelled at his son to go to sleep. Ienzo instantly ran out of the kitchen to his room. He didn't even want to stop by the bathroom to clean up the blood and grab a band-aid afraid his father might get even angrier at him. Instead he went to his room, closing the door behind him, dressed into pajamas, grabbed an old shirt, and sat on his bed.

He sat in the dark with the old shirt to where the cut was bleeding. He noticed that the blood had gotten into his hair, probably when he was running. He didn't care though; he'd just wash it out in the morning. The cut kept bleeding and continued to sting. His father's abuse never caused bleeding before, only bruises. Finally Ienzo fell asleep, the cut bleeding onto the old shirt and pillow.

* * *

The next day at the park Demyx kept bothering him to tell him what happened to his eye. Ienzo never told him. Instead he did his best to distract the other. He would either ask to hear the other play guitar or look at his pictures, depending on what he brought that day. Sometimes Ienzo would distract the other by showing him a trick. As the days passed Ienzo got better at keeping his balance and soon started to do flips. He still fell every now and then though. One day Ienzo offered to bring Demyx lunch knowing it could be used as another distraction to any personal questions. He made them lunch often since the first time he did Demyx had enjoyed it.

One day the two were completely bored. Demyx didn't ask questions about the cut. Instead he was looking for something to take a picture of. He had already taken photos of the playground which actually had a good amount of kids, but that had soon lost his interest. Looking around he couldn't find anything interesting. The trees weren't as pretty as before and there weren't any squirrels or other animals out. Finally his eyes landed on Ienzo who was lying down with his eyes closed. He took a picture of him causing the other to jump at the flash. He was told to stop but Demyx continued to take pictures of Ienzo.

Demyx wound up with many photos of his friend. He'd take them whenever he was paying attention. He had once upset Ienzo by taking the pictures which caused the other boy to leave to sit up in a tree. That didn't stop Demyx though as he took more pictures. Ienzo seemed to give in and relaxed some. They both once again got bored of sitting around. Ienzo was too comfortable to climb down and Demyx couldn't climb so they stayed where they were. Ienzo figured it wasn't so bad having Demyx take pictures of him. He thought of it as another distraction.

The distractions didn't last long though. He soon ran out of ideas of what to do. Demyx continued to ask questions and it didn't help when Ienzo would come to the park one day with new bruises. Though Demyx was concerned by the bruises, what really concerned him was the cut. It had been almost a year and it never healed. Clearly Ienzo's father had meant for it to leave a scar.

One day Ienzo got the idea to run away. Even though running away meant leaving his mother and sister to his father. He cared about them, but he just couldn't take the abuse anymore. He knew if he did one more thing his father didn't like that his father wouldn't hesitate to pull a knife on him again. Not like he hesitated the first time. He already had enough mental scars; he didn't need any more physical ones. Ever since his father cut him, Ienzo couldn't sleep after nine without having nightmares of a knife. It got better after a while but it still frightened him.

The day he thought of running away was the day he did run away. He had left after breakfast. He told Elizabeth he leaving but not coming back. She was confused at first but soon realized what he was doing. With a kiss to her forehead Ienzo left the house for the last time. Before he had left he had put a note on the fridge, just to let his parents know. His sister was crying when he left, but that didn't stop him or make him think his actions over.

He ran until his house was out of sight. He continued his way to the park walking. He had packed both a backpack and small duffle bag; mostly it was filled with clothes. He had also packed things like his iPod, scissors, and a bag of money he took from his father's room. He knew his father wouldn't miss it. He had actually taken a lot needing it for food and transportation. He was wearing a black hoodie so people in town couldn't identify him as easily. He currently had it down though as he made his to the park. He knew Demyx would be there. He almost thought about not going but wanted to at least tell Demyx so he wouldn't get worried.

Ienzo didn't want to see the other's face when he told him he was leaving, knowing it would upset him just like his sister's crying had, but he deserved a goodbye. As he reached the park, Ienzo only hesitated for a few seconds before going to the grass. He instantly saw Demyx and hesitated again but made his way over. He didn't sit down when he reached his friend and instead stood. It was enough to gain his friend's attention though.

Demyx took in the bags his friend was carrying. "What's up with the bags?" he asked.

Ienzo couldn't make himself look his friend in the eyes. Instead he looked down at the ground as he said, "I'm sorry."

The words threw Demyx off. He was confused and couldn't figure out what the other meant. Standing up he asked, "What for?"

Ienzo looked at the other. "I'm leaving."

Demyx finally understood what he meant. His eyes widened and he couldn't say anything back. He was too shocked that he hardly responded when Ienzo quickly hugged him. When he moved to put his arms around the other he was already pulling away. Ienzo didn't say anything before he ran off. He only heard the faint sound of Demyx yelling 'wait'.

* * *

Ienzo's first goal was to get to the next town. After a few hours of running he finally got there. It was around lunch but he wasn't hungry. He stopped running and decided to sit down and rest. There were benches spread along the sidewalks so he found an empty one and sat down. After he caught his breath he got back up to look for a store. His legs were sore from the running but he didn't care about it. When he found a store he went in.

Looking around the store he decided to go to the back. He walked around for a bit before he found what he was looking for. Walking down an aisle he looked at the different colors of hair dye. He knew with his natural light colored hair it wouldn't be hard to change the color. He found one color he liked and picked it up. He looked the box over and decided to buy it as he made his way up to the front. He bought the hair dye without any questions from the cashier.

Leaving the store he put the box of hair dye in his duffle bag. He looked around for a bus stop but found none. Looking at the people on the streets he tried to choose one who looked like they wouldn't kill him. His eyes landed on a woman sitting on a bench with a kid stroller in front of her. He made his way over to her and asked her a couple questions. First question was where the nearest bus stop was. The second was if there was a community pool in the town.

She answered each question happily. The nearest bus stop was down a little to the right and there was a community pool not too far. Ienzo nodded and walked in the direction of the bus stop. He sat on the bench at the bus stop until the bus finally came. When he got on he asked to go to the community pool. The ride on the bus wasn't long and didn't cost much. As Ienzo got off the bus he took in his new surroundings. There wasn't much so he went in the doors of the community pool building. He checked the hours to see when the pool closed. It was a Sunday so it closed earlier than other days, it closed at three.

Ienzo made his way through the lobby to the bathroom being careful to go unnoticed. In the bathroom he went to the biggest stall, locked the door, and sat down on the floor. He pulled out his iPod to pass time. Before he knew it, it was 3:24. He put his iPod back in his bag and opened the stall door. He walked out of the bathroom, making sure to keep the door open in case it closed and locked. Checking the lobby he didn't see any workers or security. Going back into the bathroom he took the hair dye out of his bag.

Reading over the instructions he opened the box and took out the packet of dye. The box also contained two other packets, one shampoo and the other conditioner. Ienzo considered throwing them away but put them on the counter instead, just in case he changed his mind. He went to throw away the box but the warning caught his eye. In said that the dye may stain close and skin. Ienzo sighed not having anything for his hands to prevent getting the dye on his hands. Not really wanting to dye his just yet, he left the supplies on the counter and went back to his bag.

Going through his bag he pulled out the scissors. He had also brought a brush so he pulled that out too. He went back to the counter and looked in the mirror. With the brush he brushed his hair thoroughly making sure there weren't any small knots. Picking up the scissors he took his hair and cut it in the back. He left a few strands on the left and the rest on the right long. He decided to leave it at that and looked at the dye. Since it said it could stain clothes, he pulled off his hoodie and shirt.

He opened the dye packet and put it on his hands. He rubbed it through his hair making sure to spread it evenly. After it was in he washed his hands, but the dye had already stained his hands. Remembering that he had to have the dye in for a certain amount of time, he went out to the lobby, placing his bag in between the door and doorframe. He sat down in one of the chairs, careful not to lean back or get dye on it, and watched the wall clock. When the time was up he went back in the bathroom. Taking off the rest of his clothes, Ienzo turned on one of the showers. He washed the dye out completely and turned the water off. Finding a towel he grabbed it and dried himself off.

After he was dry he put his clothes back on and went to the mirror. He was right about liking the hair color. It came out well and with the way he had cut his hair he looked completely different. Except for his eyes. His eyes were still a bright blue and stood out by the color of his hair and black hoodie. He would have to deal with them for now.

Ienzo cleaned up the thrash and hair throwing it all in the trashcan. Grabbing his bag he went back to the biggest stall. He locked the door and put his duffle bag in the corner. He sat down next to it putting his backpack next to it. Sighing, he lied down resting his head on his duffle bag, and fell asleep.

* * *

When he woke up Ienzo immediately grabbed his bags and left the community pool building. He walked down the sidewalks of the streets unsure of where to go. While walking, something in a store window caught his eye. Looking he saw it was a sign advertising color eye contacts. Going into the store he bought a pair of dark blue/grey contacts. As he left the store he stopped by another one to use the window as a mirror to put them on. Putting the white contact case in his bag he continued down the street.

Just when he was starting to get tired of walking, he came across a red and white tent. A sign in front of it said it was a circus. Looking around Ienzo didn't see anyone, so he made his way to the front opening. As he looked in he could only see two people. One with silver hair and another with red hair. They both seemed to be around his age. They were in the middle of the performing ring talking to each other. Ienzo hesitantly walked in, stopping to put the hair on his right in front of his eye, and approached them slowly.

The other two noticed him almost instantly. They went quiet and watched him. Ienzo stopped at the edge of the ring unsure of what to do or say. The other two looked back at each other then back to Ienzo. The redhead was the first to speak.

"You lost?" he asked. Ienzo shook his head. Though technically he was, he didn't have anywhere to go.

The redhead looked back to his friend who was currently looking Ienzo over. "Well what are you doing here?"

"I-I was curious," Ienzo said. "Any chance you have a spot open?"

"You wanna join the circus?" the redhead asked.

Ienzo nodded his head. "Yeah, I do. I don't have anywhere else to go. Please?"

"What about your parents?" the other said.

"They're dead," Ienzo lied. He didn't want to be sent away or back.

The others seemed to think it over before the one with silver hair said, "What can you do?"

Ienzo put down his bags and stepped to a clear area with lots of space. He was able to do a series of flips and cartwheels without falling. When he was done he could tell that the one with silver hair wasn't very impressed. The redhead on the other hand though, he came up to him and patted his back.

"Hey, that was great. With a little more practice you could probably be able to be on the tightrope," he said happily. Ienzo smiled. He reminded him of Dem.

"You're good, but I have to ask my father," the other said. "My name's Riku."

"Axel," the redhead said. He then pulled away from Ienzo. "What's your name?"

Ienzo paused before answering, "Zexion."


	5. Chapter 5

Zexion sat still on the floor with his head down and hands in his lap after confessing to who he really was. Both Demyx and Axel were sitting on either side of him and Riku and Sora had come over to listen. Now, after hearing what Zexion had said, Demyx could definitely tell he was Ienzo. He just wanted to know one more thing.

"How come you didn't tell me at first?" Demyx asked.

Zexion looked up with his eyes and answered in a soft voice. "I didn't know if it was you or not."

"So you recognized me?" Demyx questioned. Zexion only looked back down and nodded.

The group was quiet after that. Then suddenly Demyx wrapped his arms around the small boy. The sudden movement caused Zexion to almost fall onto Axel, who had leaned back on instinct, but he was able to put a hand on the ground to catch himself. Zexion, unable to hold the other's weight, ended up lying on the ground with Demyx who was still hugging him on top.

Zexion could hear Axel laugh. "Okay come on," he said while pushing Demyx off the small boy. "We got to go practice some more." With that Axel helped Zexion to his feet and took him out to the ring.

The others stayed in the back room. Riku and Sora talked and soon left going who knows where. Demyx barely noticed that the other two left and that he was alone. Ever since he was a kid and his friend ran away he always worried about and miss the other. And now after so many years he meets him again, only thing is that his friend's appearance changed which made it hard for Demyx to know if it was him or not.

About half an hour passed and Axel and Zexion came back into the room.

"It's fine," Demyx heard Zexion say. "Just don't tell Riku."

"But he should know," Axel said.

"But he doesn't have to," Zexion said and went to get his bag. He walked past Demyx, glancing at him once. "Speaking of Riku, where is he?"

"I think he left somewhere with Sora," Demyx answered.

"So you were back he alone?" Axel asked and received a nod from Demyx. "You could've come out to the ring if you wanted."

"I guess I didn't think of that," Demyx said. "So are you guys done with practice?"

"Yeah," Axel said. "We're gonna go get some dinner now, you want to come?"

"Sure," Demyx said and stood up.

Axel went to grab his bag as Zexion took out his contacts. They both got their bags and left with Demyx. They decided that the easiest and best thing to get was a pizza. They went to nearest pizza place and both Zexion and Demyx waited outside while Axel ordered. Zexion leaned against the wall as Demyx stood away, looking at the other every now and then.

"You're staring at me," Zexion said.

"Sorry," Demyx said quickly, realizing that he was staring. "It's just that you're really different."

"I'm still the same though," Zexion said and stood away from the wall. "I only changed my appearance."

"Yeah, but," Demyx started as Zexion walked towards him. "Are you still the kid I met in the park?"

"Maybe I've changed some, but I guarantee we can be like how we were."

"You're right," Demyx said and smiled. "How about we get together, just you and me, and catch up."

"Kay," Zexion said and stepped away, going over to where Axel was standing and waiting by the door.

They walked to the motel so they can eat the pizza there. Axel carried the pizza and after a while seemed to not want to carry it anymore. Zexion offered to hold it for a while then give it back, but Axel refused to give it to him. One reason he didn't give it to the other is that he said Zexion was too weak to carry it. Zexion argued back, saying he wasn't weak, but he still lost against Axel. Axel had leaned down to whisper to the other, Demyx unable to hear. Demyx figured what Axel had whispered was another reason he didn't want Zexion to carry the box. Zexion backed down easily. Demyx then stepped in and offered to carry the box, Axel giving it to him with no argues.

At the motel they all sat on the floor around the box to eat. Demyx easily got along with Axel for not knowing him long and Zexion had opened up somewhat since he didn't have to hide who he was. Demyx couldn't help but look at Zexion every now and then. He always got caught staring when he didn't realize he was. One time he was caught by Axel who had smirked and accused him of liking Zexion causing the small boy to kick Axel.

Riku never did come to the motel room while they were there. Axel started talking about different things that could have happened to him or what he and Sora were doing. Zexion obviously wasn't interested in Axel's 'what ifs' and instead pulled apart a piece of crust to eat. Though he didn't seem interested didn't mean he wasn't listening. Every time Axel came up with an idea that was inappropriate or just plain stupid Zexion would hit the other on the arm.

Demyx soon left around nine. When he was gone, Zexion got up and went to the bathroom to change clothes for bed. When he came out, Axel was putting on his shirt for bed. Zexion went over to Axel's bed and lied down since they had agreed to share it. Actually, Axel had to convince the other to share the bed since Zexion still didn't mind the couch. The only reason Zexion had agreed was because Axel had said he would throw a pillow at him every morning. Knowing that Axel actually would, Zexion gave in and agreed to share the bed.

"So what are you going to do about your injury?" Axel asked as he lied next to Zexion.

"I'll just use gauze, that'll be enough to fix it," Zexion answered.

"Oh yeah?" Axel said and picked up his phone from the table. "Then I'll just text Riku and tell him to get some on his way from wherever he is."

"Don't," Zexion said and reached to take the phone, but since he reached with his left hand a pain shot through his arm when he bent his wrist. He quickly brought his hand back and held it to try and ease the pain.

"See, you need to tell Riku about this so he can pull your act until you heal," Axel said with a sigh as he put his phone back.

"It's fine," Zexion said quietly. "I have my own money so I can go buy the gauze tomorrow. I'll wear a sweatshirt to cover it. When I do my performance I'll only go up on my right hand. It's fine."

"Okay," Axel said and rested his arms behind his head. Then deciding to mess with the other, he said, "So I heard you have a date."

"What?" Zexion asked confused as he looked at Axel.

"Demyx asked you out, didn't he?"

"No, we're only friends."

"You know, a lot of couples start off as just friends. So, where's he taking you?"

"Shut up, it's not like that," Zexion said and closed his eyes.

Axel smiled knowing he had won. Turning on his side to face his friend, he wrapped an arm over the other to continue to mess with him. He could feel the other try to push him away, but the pushing ended as soon as it started, probably because of Zexion's broken wrist. It was cold at night so Axel knew he was also doing the other a favor other than just messing with him. Zexion didn't tell Axel to let him go so he knew it was fine with the small boy. Resting his head on Axel's chest, Zexion soon fell asleep.

* * *

On Saturday, Demyx had come over to the motel to get Zexion. The day before at school Demyx had told the other he'd come over to get him for the next day. Zexion agreed and said to get him at five. Thanks to Axel Zexion had become a bit paranoid about going with Demyx. Thinking that it could be a possible date he had stressed about how he looked and what they would do. Axel messed with him saying that it was definitely a date. Riku soon joined in once he knew what was going on.

Zexion knew he wouldn't be able to win against them and instead stopped talking to them about it. That plan didn't work very well when Axel and Riku kept asking him questions about it and he answered without thinking. When Demyx had come to get Zexion, the two had acted as if Zexion was their kid, telling Demyx to take care of him and to treat him right. Demyx seemed confused by them and Zexion really hope he didn't figure out what they were talking about.

Demyx didn't have his license quite yet, having only a permit, so they walked to where they were going. It wasn't a long walk so Zexion didn't mind; the only thing that bothered him was the slight cold. Luckily he was wearing a sweatshirt, but he wouldn't have worn it if it weren't to cover his wrist. Usually he would have taken no mind to the weather and not have worn a jacket. Zexion didn't ask where they were going deciding to just wait until they got there.

Since the circus hadn't been in town for long, Zexion didn't know many of the places or where anything was. He probably could have known if he walked around but instead he stayed back at the motel most of the time. He knew of some places thanks to having to walk to the circus tent from the motel or school.

The place Demyx had taken him turned out to be a park. It had a place for kids to play and open grass fields with scattered trees. A sidewalk went from the street's sidewalk and continued around the play area, went through the grass and ended at a place where picnic tables were.

"A park?" Zexion asked looking up at Demyx.

"Yeah, I thought it would be fitting considering where we first met," Demyx explained.

"I like it," Zexion said nodding.

"Come on," Demyx said and led Zexion down the sidewalk to one of the tables and sat down. It only took a minute or two for them to start talking easily like they had as children. Demyx was able to find out more of Zexion as well as how the younger boy changed over time. Zexion asked if Demyx still took photos – since that was something he always liked of Demyx – and was glad when Demyx said he still did, though he didn't show his joy. By the end of the evening, the two were where they had left off years ago. And Zexion managed to hide his injury.

* * *

After Demyx and Zexion went to the park, they went to the circus tent since Zexion had to get ready for the show. He was nervous – he was never injured this badly before. In the past he had pulled a muscle a few times but still managed to push himself to perform. A few cuts and bruises were nothing to him; he practically grew up with them. This sprained – possibly broken – wrist was the worst injury so far and it was all Axel's fault after all. The redhead knew Zexion wasn't very steady on his own feet when on the ground.

He just had to keep telling himself to only go up on his right hand. Luckily, Axel was still the only person to know of the injury, unless he went and told Riku. Zexion knew if he took the gauze off his wrist the others will notice the red skin and bruising. So instead of taking it off, he decided to just put the gauze around his other wrist too.

Zexion's performance was also the closing performance. That being that, he knew if something went wrong it'd mess up the closing, and he didn't want to do that. But what if something does go wrong? There's a flaming net underneath him throughout it all. Zexion shook off the thoughts of the different possibilities of something going wrong. He'll be fine; he just had to be careful.

The circus had already started by the time Demyx and Zexion got there. It was okay for Zexion to be late, since he was the last performance, as long as he had enough time to get ready and stretch. There were other times where he would have to show up earlier than the time now because he also helped in the other's performances, such as Riku's magic act. Though that wasn't the case for tonight.

Sora was already there in the audience, surprisingly so was Roxas, and Demyx went to sit with them. Zexion went to the back to change his clothes and stretch. Axel was back there, sitting on the couch as he lazily played with a lighter. The redhead watched the other boy as he moved around the room, silently questioning him if he was sure about performing. They didn't speak and the room was mainly silent with the exception of the other performers coming and going.

Once the final performance was announced, both Zexion and Axel silently got up and went out to the ring. The lights were dimmed and they each got into position, Zexion up on the tightrope and Axel on the ground below. After the net was secured, the staff left and the lights came on slightly – enough for the audience to see – and the two started the performance.

Axel did his usual tricks, but made them simpler as to be able to stop and do something if Zexion slipped up. He kept his eyes mostly on the boy above, just in case. Zexion did his best to ignore the fact that everyone was watching him. He could feel Axel's eyes on him and when he dared a glance at the entrance to the back room he could see Riku standing there watching. He forced himself to ignore them and continue on with his performance.

Unfortunately, his thoughts on Riku and Axel made him forget about his wrist and he went up on it. He could feel his wrist bend the wrong way – definitely broken now – and he choked down a cry of pain. Getting back to his feet, Zexion quickly used his right hand to make a gesture down to Axel, a gesture that meant 'catch me now.' He made his way to the middle of the rope, using only his right hand, all the while watching Axel. The redhead dropped his tricks with the flames and went under the rope to where he'd catch the other, sending up a hand gesture meaning he was ready to catch.

Zexion jumped off the rope, falling through the hole in the net which hadn't even been set ablaze yet. He knew he was cutting the act short, but he didn't care. All he did care about was getting down and into the back room to treat his wrist. Axel easily caught him and set him down to his feet. The lights were still dim so they weren't very noticeable on the ground without the fire. Stepping away, Zexion slowly headed to the back room as Axel picked up where he left off with his tricks. With the audience's attention on Axel, Zexion was left unnoticed as he left to the back room. He ignored Riku as he passed the taller teen. Though he knew he'd have to explain, he just wished it could've waited until later.

"What happened out there?" Riku asked behind Zexion, his tone more concerned than the younger boy expected it to be.

"I hurt my wrist," Zexion answered truthfully.

"On the rope?" Riku asked confused. He knew the boy was more comfortable on the tightrope and a bit of a klutz on solid ground – as strange as he always thought that was – so he didn't know how Zexion could hurt himself up there.

"No, I hurt it during practice," Zexion corrected. "And I think I completely broke it right now."

Sighing, Riku walked towards Zexion. "Why would you perform if you're injured?"

"I just wanted to," Zexion answered with a shrug. He had gotten an icepack and was now holding it against his wrist.

"You're an idiot," Riku said, only meaning it partly. He reached over and took Zexion's wrist – the younger boy wincing slightly – and unwrapped the gauze. He took the icepack from the other and applied it to the wrist. "I'll have my father get you to a doctor. Until you're completely healed, I'm pulling your act."

"I figured," Zexion said gently, more to himself.

"Be careful," Riku said, handing back the icepack and walking away, probably to find his father.

* * *

EDIT: Okay, first of all I'm sorry for not updating this story in a long time. I've had many other stories I was eager to write and just get the idea down before I lost it. Anyway, for this story - I'm sad to say - I'm losing some plot ideas. No need to worry though, I have an idea how to continue it, but it doesn't go with this story's description. So I'll finish this story off - unfortunately it'll be cut short than most stories - and pick it up in a new story I plan to make.

The new story will be titled Freak Show and will bring in plenty more characters. It'll have the main characters doing new acts/tricks, new performers, and some trouble with their relationships, such as someone new trying to come in between them.

So with that all being said, Circus Freak will end after a few chapters and will be picked up in Freak Show.


	6. Chapter 6

Axel finished off the closing performance – surprisingly successfully since it wasn't planned – and once the audience stopped clapping, the redhead went to the backroom. It was mostly empty in there, most of the performers having already left. Zexion was sitting on the couch, still in his performance outfit with his sweatshirt thrown on over and holding an icepack to his left wrist.

"You okay?" he asked as he sat down to the injured boy.

"Yeah," Zexion answered with a sigh. "I know what you're thinking, I should've gone to Riku and have him pull my act beforehand. I shouldn't have tried to do it."

"Actually, I was thinking of what we're gonna do to fill your spot until you heal, but you're right, you should've listened to me," Axel said with a smirk. Before Zexion could respond, Demyx, Sora, and Roxas came into the room. Demyx made his way over to the couch and sat down next to Zexion. Sora and Roxas stayed near the entrance.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Demyx asked, first about the cut-short performance then about the other's wrist once noticing the icepack.

"I'm fine, just broke my wrist," Zexion explained.

"Yup," Axel spoke up. "And he thought it'd be a good idea to perform with an injury thus breaking his wrist more."

"Really?" Demyx asked, a look on his face that was a mix between surprise and concern. Zexion only nodded as he readjusted the icepack. "Why would you perform if you were injured?"

"Because I wanted to," Zexion said, starting to get irritated with being asked the same question. "I like performing."

"Well that's too bad," Axel said and sat on the other side of Zexion. "Your performance is on hold. At least now you have more time to go on dates with Demyx."

"What?" Demyx asked, completely confused and embarrassed.

"I told you it wasn't a date," Zexion said, ignoring the blonde and instead glaring at Axel.

"That's your opinion," Axel pointed out. "What do you think Demyx? Would you consider you to getting together earlier a date or not?"

"I, I dunno," Demyx stuttered out, all the while blushing. "I didn't ask it as a date."

"See, it wasn't a date," Zexion said turning back to Axel.

"Whatever," the redhead muttered and stood up, going over to the twins.

"So," Demyx said after taking a deep breath. "Now that you have more time on your hands, there's actually something I've been wanting to show you. Do you want to meet up again tomorrow?"

"Sure," Zexion answered. "What time?"

"Hm, around late afternoon."

"I'll probably be here while the others do the show," Zexion said.

"Okay, I'll come here to get you then," Demyx said, standing up. "See you later. And make sure to take care of your wrist, okay?"

"'Kay," Zexion said with a nod. Demyx smiled and walked away and out of the room.

* * *

The next day while the other performers did the show, Zexion sat in the back room taking care of his wrist. He hadn't gone to the doctor yet – his appointment was tomorrow – so he didn't have a cast. Instead he kept it wrapped in the gauze and put ice to it occasionally.

And his wrist wasn't the only thing hurting. Since his wrist was broken, he had to adjust his sleeping position as to not further harm the injury which then resulted into his shoulders and neck being sore from the change in position. Leaning back onto the couch cushions, Zexion waited for Demyx to get there.

When the blonde did get there, Zexion noticed the camera he carried. The younger boy almost forgot that Demyx did photography and wondered how far along the blonde had come along throughout the years. Same with his music.

"Hey," Demyx said with a smile as he sat down to Zexion.

"Hey," Zexion said, copying the other's greeting. "Is this what you wanted to show me?" he asked reached for the camera, gently touching it with his fingers.

"Yes and no," Demyx answered. "Come on," he said and reached to grab Zexion's right hand, bringing the smaller boy to his feet. He pulled him along until they were outside where the evening air had a small chill and the sun was close to start setting.

"Where are you taking me?" Zexion asked as Demyx pulled him down the sidewalk.

"You'll see," was all the blonde said in answer. A while later the two came to the top of a grassy cliff that overlooked the ocean, a few islands visible in the far distance. Demyx sat down and Zexion followed suit. "You're not afraid of heights are you?" Demyx asked quickly without thinking.

"Did you seriously just ask that?" Zexion questioned with a smirk. At his question, Demyx said a small 'oh right' and looked at the water. "Of course not," Zexion said answering the blonde's question anyway. "So is this what you wanted to show me?"

"Yup!" Demyx answered happily. "This has been my favorite place since I moved here. Especially at sunset," he said with a smile. "People used to use this cliff for cliff diving, but when someone got hurt badly they stopped. So now I just come here to watch the sunset."

"That's nice," Zexion said and rubbed his neck to try and get rid of the slight pain.

"You okay?" the blonde asked concerned.

"Fine, my neck just hurts a little."

"Here," Demyx said and moved to sit behind the other boy. Placing his hands on Zexion's shoulders, Demyx started to gently massage. Zexion rested his hands in his lap, his fingers mindlessly playing with the gauze on his wrist as he watched the water ahead. After a few minutes the blonde's hands stopped moving and he simply rested them on the other's shoulders as he leaned forward and asked, "Is that better?"

"Yeah, thanks," Zexion answered quietly, suddenly a bit shy about the situation. Demyx then moved to sit back beside the other, picking up his camera where he had placed it. Zexion took no mind to the blonde as Demyx turned on the camera. The thing he did take notice of was the was the sound of a camera click and flash towards him. Blinking and looking over to the blonde he asked, "Why'd you do that?"

"I saw a good opportunity and took it," Demyx answered easily with a shrug of his shoulder. At the confused – and rather cute – look on the other boy's face, the blonde took another picture of him.

"Seriously," Zexion said, "what are you doing?"

"Just taking a picture of the beautiful view," the blonde answered. Zexion glanced at the water where the sun had started setting along the horizon, then realizing what Demyx was really talking about, his eyes widened slightly and he could feel a small blush starting.

"Did, did you," he started, stuttering as he looked back to the blonde which just caused him to blush more. Looking away he said, "Did you just…" he let his voice trail off, unsure of what to say.

"Call you beautiful? Yup," Demyx said with a smile.

"Did you mean it?" Zexion asked quietly as he used his right hand to rest on the grass beside him and pull a few blades.

"Of course," Demyx answered. "I wouldn't have if I didn't mean it."

"Does," the other said slowly, "does that mean you like me?"

"Yeah," the blonde said with a smile. "I do. How do you feel about me?" he asked nervously. Zexion, in answer, swiftly leaned over and kissed Demyx on the cheek.

"I think you're sweet," he said and rested his head on Demyx's shoulder. Hesitating only slightly, Demyx placed his arm around Zexion and held him to his side.

* * *

Once the sun was completely set scattered stars lit up the night sky. Since it was getting late Demyx walked Zexion back to the motel he was staying in. The walk was mostly silent, but it was comfortable silence. Demyx was still relieved that Zexion hadn't turned down his feelings for him and instead returned them.

When they got to the motel, Demyx quickly grabbed Zexion by the arm and pulled him away from the door before he could open it. Before he could question why Demyx pulled him away, Zexion was turned to face the blonde and kissed on his lips. His first instinct was to push Demyx away because of the suddenness of it, but stopped – both because of his wrist and of deciding to kiss back – to rest his hands on the other's chest. Demyx pulled away too soon for Zexion's liking then said his goodbye and left.

Zexion stood by the door to his room, still a bit taken aback by the kiss. Shaking it off, he opened the door and walked in, not surprised that the two he shared the room with were both still awake.

"About time you got back," Riku said after glancing to Zexion then going back to reading his book.

"Yeah," Axel agreed from his spot on his bed. "Where have you been?"

"Nowhere," Zexion said and went to sit on the couch.

"Didn't you leave with Demyx?" Riku asked from across the room, causing Zexion to blush as he thought about what happened with Demyx.

"Hey Riku look, he's blushing," the redhead said with a smirk. Zexion shot a glare at him while Riku looked up from his book to look at him. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Zexion muttered quietly.

Getting off his bed, Axel walked over and sat next to Zexion. Putting an arm over the other's shoulder he asked, "Was it bad?"

"No," Zexion answered.

"Well then, what happened?" Axel asked again.

"He kissed me," Zexion said quietly but was heard by the other two.

Riku and Axel looked at each other before the redhead stood up from the couch and exclaimed, "Damnit!" Zexion was confused and was gonna ask what Axel meant but was unable to as the redhead continued. "I mean come on," Axel said. "Riku's going out with Sora already," he said and gestured to the silverette then to Zexion as he continued, "you got kissed tonight and I can barely get Roxas to even talk to me!"

"Maybe you should've gotten to know him better before trying to ask him out," Riku stated and went back to reading.

"How was I supposed to know he'd turn me down?" Axel asked. "No one can resist me."

"Anyone with a brain can resist you," Zexion said, growing bored of the conversation. He got up and walked to get his clothes he sleeps in then went to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed.

* * *

Kind of short, sorry. And it's not really a good chapter. T-T I'll be starting the next chapter tomorrow.


End file.
